THE Houthis have targeted an administrative building belonging to Saudi Arabia’s Aramco in the eastern city of Dhahran, an official at the Ministry of Energy told the Saudi SPA news agency.
Authorities responded to a fire caused by the attack on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
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The attack on the headquarters of Saudi’s national oil company came after Yemen’s Houthis warned all employees and civilians near Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities to evacuate, calling the sites “a legitimate target” earlier on Tuesday.
The warning from the group’s spokesman, Yahya Saree, was prompted by an evacuation order from the Saudi-led coalition urging civilians to evacuate Yemeni Oil Company’s al-Sabah central station in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa.
Saree responded to the coalition’s evacuation order, warning that any strikes on Sanaa would meet a “harsh and painful” reprisal on the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia also intercepted missiles launched by the Houthis towards Riyadh, SPA reported. Four people were injured and 15 homes were damaged by the debris from two intercepted missiles, said the Civil Defense spokesperson, according to SPA.
Shortly after the Saudi-led coalition’s evacuation order, Al Jazeera’s team on the ground reported hearing explosions in Sanaa. Media outlets affiliated with the Houthis said air strikes by the Saudi-backed forces struck an oil facility in the al-Sabah area of the capital.
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Shortly after the warning, Saree said on Telegram that any Saudi attack on Sanaa would be met with a “firm and painful” response in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Houthi officials appeared to have anticipated the attack. The oil company said its storage facilities were empty and that a Saudi strike would not affect oil reserves or supplies for residents.
Still, witnesses in the city said lines of cars formed at some gas stations amid fears of a shortage.
“We heard the explosion upon Saudi Arabia targeting the Yemeni oil al-Sabah central station here in the capital Sanaa,” Al Jazeera correspondent Yousef Mawry said.
Saudi Arabia also conducted two other air strike campaigns on the Ras Isa port, targeting Yemeni oil storage tanks and on an oil station in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah province, according to Mawry.
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Saudi-led coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki accused the Houthis of using the facility and its underground fuel depots for their arsenal of missiles and drones.
Following the reported explosions, Saree said Houthi fighters were confronting Saudi-backed forces in Sanaa.
